More than 24 countries operate separate boards and exchanges aimed at small and medium-size enterprises (SMEs). Equity markets play a critical role in fostering economic productivity by financing innovation. But only a few SME exchanges function properly, providing coveted fresh capital and...

An update of the World Bank Group's Privatization Database shows that privatization in developing countries continued to pick up in 2004 and 2005, with 400 transactions worth US$90 billion. Apart from 1997, the 2005 result in nominal terms is the highest since 1990 (when the data start)....

Entrepreneurship is important for the continued dynamism of modern economies and for job creation. Policymakers need to know how new firms get started and what financial and institutional factors promote entrepreneurial activity. A new cross-country, time-series data set shows a strong...

As governments turn to the private sector to provide services once delivered by the public sector, they must learn new skills. An increasingly common way to provide the new capacities needed is to establish public-private partnership units - as new agencies or as special cells within a...

Many developing countries subsidize petroleum products. The doubling of world oil prices since January 2004 has had very high fiscal costs for these countries, increasing public debt and squeezing other government spending. The subsidies have also had unintended results. But phasing out...

Government inspections of firms are important for enforcing regulations to protect public health, safety, and the environment and to carry out economic functions such as tax collection and banking regulation. But most inspection regimes in developing countries impose excessive costs on firms...

National parks in developing countries are home to the planet's most undervalued natural assets. Positive experience with public-private partnerships in nature conservation in Africa shows that they can improve service through professional management and marketing, reduce the need for public...

As war and civil strife subside, can governments turn to the private sector to restore basic services? Post-conflict countries suffer from disproportionately low levels of private investment in infrastructure, with only small-scale service providers likely to emerge during, and right after...

Postconflict countries have had difficulty attracting private investment in infrastructure, and their growth and stability have suffered as a result. But the success of a few countries hints at policy initiatives that governments could pursue to close this destabilizing gap in investment. The...

After two decades of privatization, has government ownership and control of enterprises declined substantially? A rigorous assessment is difficult in the absence of systematic data on state enterprises. But ongoing research suggests that while privatization has helped reduce the state's role in...